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Last year, I received the opportunity to interview Tanaka Rie, who voices Lacus Clyne in Gun SEED. She told me that there were some answers that I couldn't write down, and I wondered why. Not long after, the movie Gundunda SEED Freedom was announced and I realized that was the reason why Tanaka couldn't say as much as she wanted.
When I received the news about the movie, I felt quite conflicted. That's because my feelings towards the SEED brand are quite mixed. I love the original GUNDAM SEED. Not long after, I was actually living in Japan during the time the Gundden SEED Destiny show was on TV. I was such a fan of the first series that when SEED Destiny aired, I made sure to be in front of the TV every Sunday night so I could watch it. I remember one time leaving my group of friends so I wouldn't miss a single episode, and another time frantically cycling home. And in those early days, I really felt like the movie was exceeding my expectations, because I wondered where all of its hints and plotlines were going to lead.
Then came disappointment after disappointment, and my opinion of it worsened accordingly. Worst of all is the way SEED Destiny treats my favorite character, the fiery tomboy Cagalli Yula Athha, into a constantly moaning mess. The drama about her relationship with her partner, Athrun Zala, felt contrived and insulting to what they had built in SEED. The ending is a mess that feels rushed and leaves all the characters looking terrible — even series protagonist Kiara Yamato and his romantic interest Lacus Clyne, who are so perfect perfect. There is some filler ending to make up for the rushed finale, but it's too little, too late.
To this day, I would say that I'm just a fan of SEED (and the GunDum SEED Astray manga, but let's put that aside). So with GTA SEED Freedom, I can't help but feel apprehensive: How much will SEED be and how much will Destiny be?
I'm relieved that it turned out to be a solid film that helps repair some of the damage done by its predecessor and reminds me enough of what made SEED good while avoiding being a complete nostalgia .
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Plot
Gundam SEED Freedom takes place not long after SEED Destiny ends. After stopping political leader Gilbert Dullindal's plot, which essentially involved eugenics and giant space lasers (of course), Kira and Lacus formed an independent peacekeeping force. is called COMPASS. Among them are SEED Destiny characters (and old enemies) Shinn Asuka and Lunamaria Hawke. Despite achieving a crucial (and deadly) victory over Dullindal, humanity remains far from peaceful, and tensions between the Naturals and the Genetically Modified Coordinators continue to be inflamed by extremist groups. Amid this ongoing chaos, a small nation called the Foundation emerges as a potential ally of COMPASS. When Lacus meets its leaders, she feels an unusual and intriguing connection to Orphee Lam Tao, one of the country's elite Black Knights, all of whom are a new type of human known as Accord, with the ability to surpass even the Coordinator. Behind-the-scenes plots put COMPASS in danger and Kira ends up becoming the scapegoat in the midst of battle.
Play to your strengths SEED
SEED Freedom focuses mainly on Kira and Lacus, and this is not a bad thing. Especially in Destiny, the series' main couple can feel strangely distant and robotic. But here, the pressure each faced in their respective roles as warrior and politician is said to have created tension and even some insecurity. This is not to say that SEED Freedom is created in its horror film, but rather that both are shown to have moments of genuine weakness that make them feel human to a degree that even initial SEED is not always reached. It's a good foundation for the entire movie.
Character design
I want to address one concern I had about the film: the character design. In promotional materials. A lot of the new characters seem to have slightly odd proportions, like their heads are too big or their legs are a bit short. All girls for some reason now have poutier lips, even if they weren't like that at first. I wondered if these changes were distracting, but they weren't as bad as I thought or if other elements of the movie were so distracting that I didn't pay much attention to it.
SPOILERS
A lot of the more interesting details happen in the second half of the movie. So from here, it will be revealed. Be alert!
Villains Are Following Right-Wing Memes
The Accords are (unsurprisingly) the main antagonistic force of SEED Freedom, and I found their role in the series quite compelling. They were the main proponents of the restoration of the Destiny Plan (i.e. space eugenics), and their reasoning and justifications ultimately made them feel (perhaps unintentionally) like theses are being discussed from the right-wing manosphere. Although they were created to excel in every way, they cannot deny the fact that being designed for specific roles in life does not automatically mean that others must follow suit. In particular, Orphee was considered Lacus's ideal mate from birth, and her rejection of him for an “inferior” person in Kira fascinated him to the point of obsession.
(As an aside, I find it funny that this obsession with perfection and intolerance for any kind of failure is so similar to Perfect Choujin, the villain from the recent Kinnikuman anime.)
The very idea that someone could have a “one-sided” partner, or devote their life to something for which they have no inherent talent, upset the Accords. When Orphee exclaims that Lacus should have loved him, it's a sentiment cut from the same cloth as the nonsense beliefs about alpha, beta, and sigma males; Angry notions about relationships (or lack thereof) are genetically inevitable; and other strange nonsense. The film indirectly reflects all of this, especially in Lacus's main line: “You don't love people because you need them, you need people because you love them.”
Character Un-Assassination
Another welcome part of the film is that much of it seems to be devoted to saving characters who are considered quite pathetic in SEED Destiny. This is especially the case with Athrun and Cagalli, who don't feature prominently in the film but impact the story in their own ways to restore what made them great.
Athrun made a big splash when he first appeared in a Z'Gok, which was later revealed to have Infinite Justice inside, not unlike Black Sarena in Nadesico: The Prince of Darkness. He is the only one who can awaken the distraught Kira to reason, emphasizing their long-standing friendship. Cagalli is portrayed as somewhat overwhelmed by the current situation but still firmly in charge and competent as the young leader of a small country, a far cry from the chaos she encountered in SEED Destiny. Their relationship seems to be one where they often cannot be together physically but are connected through affection, and that is more than enough. The film even has them remotely cooperating in battle to prevent their opponent's mind-reading ability by having Cagalli remotely control Infinite Justice. Individually, they are shown to be capable and trustworthy friends, and are clearly a loving couple.
Even Shinn arguably has less of a chip on his shoulder, but in a way, he still shows he's a lovable hothead. When the Accords tried to read Shinn's mind and were greeted by a monstrous (protected) ghost of Stellar (Shinn's unfortunate lover who died in SEED Destiny), they essentially backed off step away from the fact that Shinn's angry darkness is too dangerous and dark for them. handle. It's perfect in a way.
The appearance of other characters in the film can feel like fanservice in the sense that the work often says: “Do you remember this person? Aren't they wonderful? but it's a form of fanservice that I welcome. One of SEED's strengths is that it portrays the relationships between the characters and overall it feels like a return to form for the entire series.
(There is also a bit of actual fan service. In fact, I made a joke about the movie while watching it that exaggeratedly called it “Gundam SEED Freedom: Godannar Season 3” in reference to a particular Lacus scene.)
(I also call it “Oops, All Sciroccos” due to the Accord's intrinsic charm.)
Exciting robot wars
While this doesn't play a big role in my review of the movie, I do want to say that the mobile suit combat in this movie is excellent. It's not just the great animation or sharp action scenes that matter, but the fact that SEED Freedom actually combines the technical and fantasy parts of its mecha lore into satisfying moments. Whether it's giving people even more ridiculous backpacks, Infinite Justice chopping enemies in half with a head-mounted beam saber, or Shinn having full power in Destiny Guns where he can completely “no thinking, blank mind” abounds in moments of just activity. And Mighty Strike Freedom
SPOILERS ABOVE
Final thoughts
I'm glad that Gundunda SEED Freedom has arrived, even if it took a long time to get here. And I was more than willing to let the series ride into the sunset, only it turns out they're making two more endings that will air in theaters.
Everything changes more…
Everything changes more…